Cold installation designed more particularly for storage of ampullae



Oct. 17, 1961 A. A. DROS ET AL 3,004,408

COLD INSTALLATION DESIGNED MORE PARTICULARLY FOR STORAGE OF AMPULLAEFiied Sept. 9, 1958 s Sheets-Sheet 1 INV EN TOR.

N044!- ORNELIS J. M. VAN DER LIAN ERTOLD R. VAN. WULFF TEN PALTHE EVERTHELLINGMAN Oct. 17, 1961 A. A. DROS ET AL 3,004,408

COLD INSTALLATION DESIGNED MORE PARTICULARLY I A FOR STORAGE OF AMPULLAEFiled Sept. 9, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 2

INVENTORS ALBERT A. nnos KLAAS ROOZENDAAL 1 coma/s .1. M. VAN DER LAA/vasnrow R. VAN WULFFTEN PALTHE EVERT HELLINGMAN Oct. 17, 1961 A. A. DROSET AL 3,004,408 cow INSTALLATION DESIGNED MORE PARTICULARLY FOR STORAGEOF AMPULLAE Filed Sept. 9, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 NIL EEBARLROS INVENTORN S JAC BUS MARIA VAN DER LAAN BEQTE L D RiCl-QARD VAN WULFFTEN PALTHEEVERT HELL! AN R. AGE

nited States Patent Ofiice 3,004,408 Patented Oct. 17, 1961 Thisinvention relates to cold installations designed more particularly forstorage of ampullae and similar containers for sperm, vaccine, serum andother substances.

Such installations are very important, for example for the efiicient useof bulls sperm for artificial insemination purposes.

It is then necessary to have the disposal of a. suitable device forfreezing and prolonged storage of the sperm, which must frequently betransported over large distances,

for example in planes, to areas where again a suitable storageinstallation must be present, from which the sperm is to be distributedto customers.

In this regard, one managed hitherto to manage with the use ofcarbonic-acid ice, which has a temperature of 79.5 C. However, it hasbeen found that lower temperatures are desirable.

The present invention provides a cold installation which affords veryimportant possibilities in this respect.

The installation according to the invention comprises one or morereceptacles to be cooled, which are connected to one or more pipe linesleading to a cold head of a cold-gas refrigerator which co-acts with ablower adapted to lead air or gas cooled by the cold head to thereceptacle or receptacles to be cooled.

Each installation preferably comprises two cold-gas refrigerators, sothat one spare refrigerator is always at hand.

The term cold-gas refrigerator is to be understood to mean arefrigerator operating on the reverse hot-gas motor principle.

Such machines are adapted to achieve very low temperatures (for exampleof 190 C.) and it has been found that by means of such machines combinedwith a blower, it is possible to maintain the desired very lowtemperatures in a freezing or storage receptacle.

In one very important embodiment of the invention, the lines aredesigned for connection of a plurality of transportable cabinets whichconstitute the receptacles to be cooled and the dimensions of which arechosen for different numbers of ampullae, the cabinets also beingdesigned to be cooled during transport to another cold installation forexample with liquid gas.

Such cabinets are preferably standardized in their dimensions, so that acabinet containing the desired number of ampullae can be transportedfrom one station to another and, upon arrival, can immediately beconnected again to the pipeline system.

Further important possible structural details of the installationaccording to the invention will now be explained with reference toembodiments shown, by way of example, in the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

FIG. 1 is an elevation view, partially in longitudinal section, of oneembodiment of an installation according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the head of a coldgas refrigeratorand its surroundings, which head is also designed to supply liquid air.

Referring now to FIGURES 1 and 2, a cabinet 1 having heavily insulatedwalls is connected by means of cold air supply and discharge lines 2, 2'and 3, 3' respectively, to two cold-gas refrigerators 4 and 4'respectively, which are driven by electric motors 5 and 5',respectively.

The lines 2, 2' and 3, 3" include shutters 6, 6 and 7, 7', respectively.

The cabinet 1 may be divided into a portion 1a, which constitutes areceptacle 8 or enclosure to be cooled, and a cover portion 1b, whichcontains the lines or air channels.

Centrally in the cabinet 1, a shaft 9 can be rotated by means of anoperating member 10: Seated on the shaft 9 is a cylinder -'11, throughwhich cooled working medium may be led from the supply lines 2, 2' belowinto the receptacle 8. Adjacent the bottom of receptacle 8 there may beprovided guide blades to ensure proper distribution of the emerging flowof air over the section of the cabinet, it being possible for theseblades to be such that a strong flow of gas passes along the uprightwall of the cabinet, thus enveloping with good cooling effect thecontents of the cabinet.

' The cylinder 11 carries a member 12 which may have the form of radialarms, a honeycomb or a set of con centric rings (which may also serve asguides for the cold air) and which serves to suspend from it a largenumber of tubular or stocking-like members 13 in which a series ofampullae or similar containers filled with sperm, vaccine, serum orsimilar substances are held. Instead of using the tube or stocking, itis alternatively possible to utilize other elongated members for keeping1 together a series of ampullae.

The portion 1b of the cover has an aperture 14 (see FIG. 2) which hasthe form of a radial slot and may be closed in a well-insulated mannerby means of a lid. The slot may alternatively have shapes other thanthat shown, for example'that of a sector. By rotating the shaft 9, it ispossible for each member 13 suspended in the receptacle 8 to be moved infront of the aperture 14 and taken out of the cabinet. An index 28 onthe shaft 9 serves to indicate the position of the contents of thecabinet. The index 28- co-acts with a scale 29.

Members 13 containing ampullae may be moved through the aperture 14 intothe receptacle 8.

One of the cold-gas refrigerators serves as a spare machine, so that itis always possible to clean or inspect one machine.

As is well-known, the cold-gas refrigerators during op eration have avery cold head 15, which is provided with fins 16 for cooling air ledalong the head.

Arranged over the head 15 is a blower having a blower body 16, a blowershaft 17 and a driving motor 18.

Adjacent the cold head 15 there is also arranged a device 19 (FIG. 1)which serves to separate moisture from the air freshly supplied. Theseparator '19 may be of a type as described in our co-pending Dutchpatent application No. 219,381 of applicants. Thus, in the example underconsideration (see FIG. 3) a gauze cage 20 is shown, which is secured ina heat-conductive manner to a frame 21 arranged below in a collectingroom 22 for liquid air which flows off the cold head 15 when the blower16 is stopped.

The gauze 20 is then cooled thoroughly. A layer of snow deposits on it,which layer catches further moisture as snow from the air is supplied,as described in detail in the said Dutch patent application No. 219,381.Liquid air may thus be produced at will, when the blower 1 6 is stopped,since this results in the temperature of the cold head .15 decreasingfurther to a temperature at which air can condense on the head. Liquidair may be discharged from room 22 through an overflow tube 2 3 and adischarge pipe 26.

The liquid air is very useful especially in an installation according tothe invention, since it may be used for cooling cabinets orvesselsfilled with ampullae from the storage cabinet 1 and transportedto other places. 'Dur- 'ing the production of liquid air, the flow ofair (see FIG. 3) is in accordance with the arrows drawn in full line(the lid 24 is in this case removed) and when the blower 16 is rotatingand hence cold air is led to the receptacle =8, the flow of'air is inaccordance with the dotted lines in FIG. 3.

-'The intention is that at one station, Where such an installation ispresent such standardized cabinets may be disconnected and dispatched toanother station while cooling, for example with cooled air, and then atthe other station, where a similar installation-is present, are rapidlycoupled again to pipe lines leading to cold-gas refrigerators.

The cabinets may alternatively have shapes other than the prismatic and,for example, may be cylindrical in shape. As a further alternative, theymay be grouped in the form of a star.

What is claimed is: V

1. A cold storage system for containers of sperm, vaccine and serum orother substances comprising; a cold gas refrigerator having 'a cold headand operating on a reversed Sterling cycle, acompartment surroundingsaid cold head and having a closable inlet for atmospheric air and anoutlet for cooled air, anenclosure to be cooled, a conduit connectingsaid enclosure to said compartment, a blower located adjacent to saidcold head and in said compartment for blowing said cooled air into saiden- 'closu-re through said outlet and conduit, and a discharge systemadjacent to said cold head for drawing olf air "condensed on thecold'head when said blower is inoperative.

2. A cold storage system for containers of sperm,

vaccine and serum or other substances comprising; a cold gasrefrigerator having a'cold head and operating on a reversed Sterlingcycle, a compartment'surrounding said cold head and having a 'closableinlet for atmospheric 'air and an outlet for cooled air, an enclosure tobe cooled, at conduit-connecting said enclosure to said compartment, ablower located directly above said cold head but in said compartment forblowing said cooled air into said enclosure through said outlet andconduit, and means for collecting and discharging liquid air condensedon said cold head when said '-blower:is inoperative.

3. A cold'storage :for containers of sperm, vaccine and serum or :othersubstances comprising; a cold gas re- "frigerator having acold headandoperating on a reversed Sterling cycle, a compartment surroundingsaid cold head and having a closable inlet for atmospheric air and anoutlet for cooled air, an enclosure to be cooled, a conduit connectingsaid enclosureto said compartment, a blower located adjacent to saidcold head and in said compartment for blowing said cooled air into saidenclosure 'through said outlet and conduit, a radially extendingclosable openingin the top of said enclosure directly over said 'cooledspace, said opening and said containers being displaceable relative toeach other, a frame for said containers, said frame being rotatablerelative to said opening, means suspending said containers at spacedlocations from said rotatable *frame whereby said containers arealternately "inserted under said opening, and a trough and dischargepipe for collecting liquid air condensed on said cold head anddischarging the same when said blower is inoperative.

'Re'ierences'Cited in the file of'this patent UNITED "STATES PATENTS I20,895 Rehan July 13, 1858 2,309,006 Olsen Jan. 19, 1943 2,695,729Hornish Nov. 30, 1954 2,775,871 Prince Jan. 1, 1957 2,784,570 KohlerMar. 12, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 825,845 Germany Dec. 20, 1951 875,027France June 1, 1942

